Schools in Scotland and CfE Achievement

National and Official (Experimental - Data under development) Statistics Publications for Scotland.

There has been an increase in total pupils and teacher numbers in schools leading to an unchanged pupil teacher ratio and broadly stable class sizes. Meanwhile new data based on teacher judgement of pupils’ Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels shows that between 65 and 85% of pupils in primary schools achieved the relevant CfE level in aspects of literacy and numeracy.

Scotland’s Chief Statistician today published two releases on schools and education in Scotland.

Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland (National Statistics) provides the latest information on early learning and childcare, pupils, teachers and school estates.

In 2016, the pupil teacher ratio (PTR) in all publicly funded schools has remained at 13.7 for the third year in succession. The PTR gives a measure of the size of the teaching workforce compared with the pupil population.

The total full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers based in early learning and childcare, primary, secondary and special schools, or centrally employed, was 50,970, which is 253 FTE more than 2015 (160 FTE were funded through the Scottish Attainment Fund).

The figures suggest near universal uptake of early learning and childcare for eligible three and four year olds, whilst the number of two year old registrations has increased to 5,256 for 2016 (from 4,321 in 2015).

The average class size for pupils in P1 to P3 was 23.3, the same as the previous year. The percentage of these pupils who were in class sizes of 18 or fewer rose slightly from 12.2% in 2015 to 12.7% in 2016.

The proportion of schools reported as being in good or satisfactory condition was 84% in April 2016.

Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels 2015/16 (Experimental Official Statistics) describes the achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels for pupils in P1, P4, P7 and S3 in reading, writing, listening & talking and numeracy. It reports on the proportion of pupils who have achieved the expected CfE level relevant to their stage, based on teacher professional judgements.

The proportion of pupils achieving the CfE level relevant for their stage decreases throughout the primary stages. For example, in reading, 81% of P1 pupils achieved Early Level, 75% of P4 pupils achieved First Level and 72% of P7 pupils achieved Second Level.

The proportion of S3 pupils achieving CfE Third Level or better is between 84 and 87% for each curriculum area (i.e. reading, writing, listening and talking, and numeracy).

For each curriculum area, a higher proportion of pupils living in the least deprived areas achieve the CfE level relevant to their stage compared to pupils living in the most deprived areas (i.e. there is a deprivation ‘gap’) – for example the gap between pupils from the 20% most deprived areas and those from the least deprived areas for writing at P7 is 23 percentage points.

The figures released today were produced in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland brings together a wide range of information on school education and early learning and childcare provision in Scotland and covers: pupils, teachers, children in early learning and childcare, and school buildings.

Scotland’s Chief Statistician is also publishing school level data, which can be accessed from the same link.

For primary schools, the published results are combined results for P1, P4 and P7 pupils (rather than separately for each stage). The results therefore represent the proportion of pupils in the school who have reached the appropriate CfE level for their stage. For secondary schools, the published results are based on achievement of CfE Third Level or better. They therefore represent the proportion of S3 pupils in the school who have achieved ‘Third Level or better’.

All school level results will be presented in ten per cent bandings (i.e. under 10%, 10% – under 20% etc.). To prevent potential disclosure of information relating to individual pupils within schools, any schools in which the relevant cohort contains 20 or fewer pupils will be suppressed.

Further information on school statistics within Scotland can be accessed at: